Embustero- Pale Boundaries by Scott Cleveland

Author:Scott Cleveland [Cleveland, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781480074729
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2012-11-10T05:00:00+00:00

FIFTEEN

The Embustero: 2710:05:11 Standard

“All sections report ready for drop,” Markland informed Shadrack.

“Very well. Seal all airtight compartments. Let’s button up, ladies and gentlemen.” One by one the remaining command stations slid forward and engaged. Shadrack waited until all the other indicators blinked green before he followed.

The Embustero was about to drop out of jump in a commonly used but uncontrolled waypoint where the navcomp had the opportunity to calibrate and resolve coordinate drift before the final jump carried them to Assend. The statistical likelihood of encountering another vessel dropping at the same time was infinitesimal at best, and irrelevant at worst. The crew of the Embustero and its unlucky companion would die in a flare of subatomic particles without ever knowing what hit them.

It was the possibility of stray matter drifting through the navpoint that prompted Shadrack to employ what some considered anal safeguards. Whereas controlled jump zones and navpoints were continually scrubbed of foreign debris, the uncontrolled were not. Theoretically, matter would drift out of such places on its own before another vessel passed through.

Theoretically.

The drop was scheduled to occur during second watch, but Shadrack ordered both shifts to duty during the transition. From them he assigned his most capable and experienced crewmen to fulfill their primary roles. The others stood by to handle contingencies.

“Ten seconds,” Systems reported. “Nine…eight…seven…”

A ripple of stars appeared around the ship without so much as a bump. Shadrack breathed a sigh of relief and was about to let his crew stand down when an alarm shrilled.

“Nav to command! Radar paints a vessel one hundred twenty thousand kilometers off our starboard stern. Our transponder is being interrogated.”

“Return the favor,” Shadrack ordered. “Anyone else out there?”

“Negative.”

Transponder data from the other ship scrolled across one of Shadrack’s screens, identifying their fellow traveler as a Commonwealth military vessel, but that was all. He wouldn’t know what type until Systems got the freighter’s long-range optics locked on it.

“Medium cruiser,” Markland reported after studying the image. “Cordoba class. Wonder what he’s doing out here?” Shadrack wondered the same thing. Uncontrolled did not necessarily mean unpatrolled, but the warship’s presence was an unsettling coincidence considering the Embustero’s recent activities.

“Commonwealth warship, Commonwealth warship, this is cargo vessel Ladybird off your port bow,” Shadrack transmitted. “What are your intentions? Over.”

“Ladybird, Ladybird, state your destination, over.”

Shadrack quickly scanned his directory for a convincing reply. “Destination is Phoenix Outpost, warship. Anything happening we should know about? Over.”

“Affirmative, Ladybird. We recommend you return to and remain in controlled space lanes due to pirate activity in this area. Over.”

“Thanks for the advisory, warship. Ladybird out.” He contacted Markland on a private channel. “What do you think?”

“We wouldn’t be having this conversation if he was after us,” the first mate replied, “but we’ll be tracked if we head directly for Assend from here. Much as I hate to, I advise that we jump to a tertiary navpoint first.”

Shadrack agreed. The navcomp archive gave up a long list of possibilities: old jump zones that once serviced now-deserted habitats or abandoned trade routes, and navpoints made obsolete by improved navigational capabilities.

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